


our strings of fate are blue

by orphan_account



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/M, M/M, Not A Happy Ending, Onghwang, Poetry, Round 1, Summer Love, siriusrises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 21:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13843479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: seongwoo and minhyun are like planets, whether they're in the same or different orbit, all they can do is revolve around each other, never meant to clash





	our strings of fate are blue

**Author's Note:**

> prompts #19: minhyun's last task for his final semester is to define the color blue with a poem. (or: minhyun learns that seongwu has always been his imperfectly perfect muse.)
> 
>  
> 
> plot heavily inspired by Bolbbalgan4 - Blue

_ Blue was the color of the skies _

_ Littered by fireworks, _

_ Our hopes and dreams _

_ When I met you _

_ One midsummer’s night _

_“Minhyun, hurry up or we’re gonna miss the fireworks show!”_

_That was the last he heard of from Jonghyun as he gets lost in the sea of the crowd (although he doesn’t regret buying the discounted candy apple), so he ends up leaving the crowd to find a quiet spot. The sun was just about to set and he was thankful to find an elevated area. The crowd’s loud murmurs were reduced to a muffle and he relishes the peace of solitude._

_What he doesn’t expect next was loud rustling just behind him. It was almost sunset with the orange and blue combining in the sky, and he didn’t expect to at least run into criminals on a festival that he religiously attends. Sweat started to coat on his forehead and he was certainly sure that it wasn’t because of the humid air. However, he chooses to keep still, clutching on the stick of his candy apple as his only hope of defense._

_“Who’s there?!” He blurts out in his native tongue out in haste, softening the grip on his mere stick when he notices the look of relief on the other’s eyes. “You can speak Korean? Thank god!” The figure behind the bushes exclaim and slowly step out. Despite the slight scratches on his face and his messed-up hair, his features actually suit him well._

_“I ran off from where I was working. The view for the fireworks there wasn’t good.”_

_A look of disbelief was painted on Minhyun’s face, yet he still scoots to the side to make room for the stranger on the strangely comfortable boulder he was sitting on. He smelled like noodle broth which made Minhyun smile._

_“Are you working on the udon stall? The one where they slide noodles on tubes?”_

_“Yeah, my name’s Seongwoo. Ong Seongwoo.” The stranger, Seongwoo, said with a nod and proud grin._

_“Ong’s quite a rare surname. My name’s Minhyun. Hwang Minhyun. I came here with my friends for a vacation. Should I call you with formalities, Mister Ong?”_

_“I’d let you if you’re born after 1995.” Minhyun doesn’t miss the way Seongwoo’s stoic demeanor dissolves as he smiles, and he realizes that the adrenaline inside him spiked._

_“Seongwoo, do you want a candy apple?” He asks and Seongwoo thanks him while proceeding to take a bite, only to be startled on his seat, both him and Minhyun, as the sound of the booming fireworks catch them by surprise, and all their attention was turned to the night sky._

_Despite the breathtaking display of fireworks at dusk, Minhyun finds himself stealing glances at the newfound friend._

\--

 

“It’s been three years since I wrote this. Now that I’m somehow about to read this to you, it’s quite embarrassing.” Minhyun said with a coy smile, his hand reaching to scratch on his nape as an automatic response. The other in front of him just takes a sip of his coffee before flashing a smile at Minhyun.

 

“Don’t be. We always start from humble beginnings. Besides, I like your pieces. They’re not perfect in structure, but they’re from the heart. That’s what’s important and that’s what I’m trying to look for right now.” The words made Minhyun’s ears turn red, fingers lightly flicking on the corners of the paper to ease his nervousness from the entire ordeal.

 

There was the sound of clearing the throat, and the atmosphere tense but warm, and Minhyun starts with the first stanza along with flashbacks of the memories from three years ago, vivid as if they were happening just yesterday.

_ There was blue in your hazel _

_ Behind the windows of your eyes _

_ You cover the raindrops _

_ In curtains and blinds _

_ So beautiful when you smile _

 

_Summer, despite its humidity, is beautiful and vibrant in Japan. Even in the unbearable heat (with all the thanks to global warming and climate change), he manages to visit the noodle restaurant once more. He was greeted by Seongwoo, outfit similar to the one he wore when they first met._

_“Minhyun!”_

_Immediately, he looks for the source of the sweet voice and sees Seongwoo behind the counter’s edge, serving a bowl to the customer. It was nine in the evening, a couple of minutes past peak hours and thankfully the restaurant wasn’t too hectic that Seongwoo could still sit and chat._

_“What brings you here? Summer is better spent in airconditioned cafes with a good book.”_

_The two of them have only met yesterday, yet talking to Seongwoo felt like they’ve known each other for a long time. Minhyun felt a sense of security in the familiarity and eased up to joke around without having to put his guard up._

_“I came here to see you. Do you want me to go away?” There was a pout on his face and if this was him on the daily, he would have cringed. And he should be cringing when he does this to a stranger he hasn’t know that well for too long, but with the spark of bravery comes the absence of shame, so he basks in the moment (most especially since his friends aren’t here to witness him embarrassing himself)._

_His question was answered by a bowl of the restaurant’s specialty noodles in front of him. “It’s a take it or leave it.” Seongwoo tells him while leaning against the wall, a small smirk etched on his face as if already knowing that Minhyun would indeed, in fact, stay and chat._

_\--_

_He doesn’t expect to be waiting for Seongwoo to finish his shift and leave with him to eat ice cream at a nearby convenience store, him having to hear Seongwoo ramble about the wonderful effects of alcohol to the non-alcoholic Minhyun after the confession._

_“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m allergic. If I have to try it, it would be my first and last.” Seongwoo looks at him as if he grew a second head on his shoulder, eyes almost closing halfway as he was almost done with the first bottle of alcohol._

_Five bottles later, Minhyun is carrying a half-asleep Seongwoo by the arm, dragging him on the quiet sidewalk while the other babbles on incoherently about how he wants to go back home to Korea and how much he misses his parents._

_“Why do you have to go so soon? It’s not fair, I want to be with you some more.”_

_Minhyun makes sure Seongwoo takes the first steps through the door of his apartment as quietly as possible, trying to hide the sinking feeling in his stomach with a hearty laugh. “You drank too much. Don’t worry, I’ll visit you in the morning. If I stay here, my friends would get worried.”_

_Before he can finish his sentence, Seongwoo was already sprawled on the couch, falling asleep while hugging on one of the cushions. Minhyun locks the door after leaving behind a note and his heart._

 

_“Here’s some aspirin for your hangover. I’ll come over in the morning so don’t go anywhere. -HMH”_

 

\--

 

“That night, when I left to get my own sleep, I was really bothered.” This time, he takes a sip of his own drink, too embarrassed to look at the person across him. “How do you get to fall for a stranger? That’s so absurd, right? But do you think it’s possible to fall for someone you’ve only met for just a week?”

 

“If it’s possible to fall for someone at first sight, then of course that’s more than possible.”

 

“Was I really that obvious of a lovesick puppy back then? I mean, you know how little my experience is with dating.”

 

Minhyun was only met by a smile, probably meant to tease him, and it worked as he feels his entire body heating up from the embarrassment that he had to put down the paper with his piece just so the edges won’t be crumpled and deformed from the sweat on his palms.

 

“Continue reading it, I like hearing your voice when you narrate your poetry...”

 

 

_ Flowers bloomed in my garden _

_ A meadow of roses blue _

_ I didn’t know what they would mean _

_ It didn’t matter _

_ As long as I had you _

__

_The sound of the cicadae blend well with the sound of children’s laughter reduced to a blur. The breeze was barely there and when it was, it was also comforting. A light patch of sweat splays on their napes but none of the two boys did pay mind. Minhyun was engrossed in humming a small tune as they look at the view of the sun setting behind the horizon._

_“Hey Seongwoo,” Minhyun breaks his tune to turn to Seongwoo, who was trying to look like he wasn’t startled at all. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”_

_Not even the sounds of insects and children could break the heavy silence after the question. Minhyun isn’t looking at Seongwoo anymore and Seongwoo looks up, as if the answer were found in the trees up above. But if anything, the silence was enough to let the latter hear his own heartbeat._

_“I’m not too sure…” Seongwoo starts off after much thought, and as much as he tries to look at even the side of Minhyun’s face, he couldn’t bring himself to. Yet, he could feel the puzzled look on the said man’s face somehow. “I mean,” he continues, “what if we’ve already crossed paths before but I just didn’t notice, then fell in love with you at the second encounter when we met at the festival?”_

_This time their gazes met, Minhyun’s shocked look and Seongwoo’s anticipating stoic façade facing each other in a lonely flight of stairs at a quiet park. And it came just as quick as the sun has settled. It was all forgotten who initiated it, but what only mattered to them at the moment was that their lips met and their feelings poured out without words into the crimson sky. In that small moment, they forgot about the horizon and what lies behind, for it felt like the world belonged to only the both of them. The sense of security that was short-lived, only determined by a kiss, an epitome of the recklessness of youth._

_It was Minhyun who broke away first, looking at Seongwoo through blurred eyes as he tries holding back the tears threatening to spill on his cheeks._

_“I’m heading home in two days. I hope our paths cross again in Korea by then.”_

_After that night, all that’s left of Minhyun in Seongwoo’s life is the memories they shared, haunting him each day in the form of a ghost’s kiss._

_\--_

“Did you have any regrets back then?”

 

The question makes Minhyun tense up. If he was asked of the same question a few years back, he’d probably have the look of loss in his eyes, but today he was strong enough to answer the question with a smile.

 

“Maybe that I didn’t say how I feel sooner.”

 

“What if you said it sooner, do you think that it would change anything?”

 

“You know how I don’t linger on the ‘what if’s. You know how some things just play out the way they do. If it was because of fate or any other force out there in this universe, it would still end the same no matter if I did it or not.” Then there was laughter, and the other’s head nodding in agreement.

“Ah, you’ve really grown into a more mature person, Mister Hwang.”

 

“We have Mister Ong to thank for some parts of that.” He replies with a light laugh before clearing his throat, holding onto the paper again as he readies himself to narrate the next stanzas.

 

_ Stripped bare of our armor _

_ Your soul was blue _

_ Dented in battle and bruised _

_ Did it ever bring you comfort _

_ When mine was too? _

__

_Part-time jobs in Korea come in the usual form of food delivery to waiting tables to serving in cafes. Some get lucky with busking out in famous spots and performing in pubs as customers give them tips. However, Minhyun’s desperate search for one landed him in a flower shop. Two years into college and he feels that his scholarship couldn’t provide him enough especially now that he’s living alone._

_The shop wasn’t as large as the other stalls in the area, but it was enough to house a display a variety of roses, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, and other seasonal varieties that the store offers. On the entrance, however, was a beautiful display of baby’s breath in different colors, the finishing touch that induces warmth to the customers and passersby._

_Two years have passed since his Japan trip, and yet the memories come to mind again as he fixes up a bouquet of sunflowers for one of his regular customers, an elderly lady who wanted to put different fresh flowers every week in her restaurant’s entrance. And when he finished with the bouquet and waved the lady goodbye, a familiar face comes inside, looking like a deer in headlights at the display of different flowers._

_Minhyun usually greets his customers whenever they come inside, but the sight of Seongwoo barging in his shop caused his heart to beat fast and stop altogether, if that was even possible. Their gazes met and the world doesn’t feel so small after._

_“Mister Ong? Am I finally really seeing you?” He spoke first, slowly and carefully, as Seongwoo looked as shocked as him, standing frozen in the spot. As much as he wanted to run towards him and just give him a tight hug, something at the back of his mind stops him and tells him to just keep his cool behind the counter._

_“Minhyun? Hwang Minhyun from Japan? We’ve finally met!” Seongwoo strides closer until his palms were close enough to hold on the counter, the smile painted on his lips were just as colorful as Minhyun remembers it two years ago. “We did. Are you here for a bouquet of baby’s breath?” Of course, Minhyun still remembers how the other could only talk about how beautiful the flowers are._

_“Yes, but can I place an order in advance? I’ll be picking it up by the next few months hopefully.” And Minhyun sees it, the way Seongwoo’s smile gets reduced to a half, the words laid out carefully in front of him. The entire ordeal of already noticing and knowing Seongwoo’s habits only after two weeks of meeting him amazes him and scares him at the same time._

_“Alright. I’m assuming this is a large order?” The tips of Seongwoo’s ears turn pink, embarrassment ruling over him as he nods. And it was also a habit of him to scratch his nap when he does._

_That was when Minhyun sees it, a small glimmer at the quick motion, but it wasn’t a mistake because he remembers how the fingers were vacant when he held Seongwoo’s hand. Minhyun tries to smile, hoping that he’s masked the emotions enough while he types away to note of the reservation and order._

_“I sent a note to the store owner so you two could discuss about the order and bouquets. Would tomorrow be a good time?”_

_Seongwoo nods in reply, this time trying to look around, anywhere, so long as it isn’t Minhyun’s eyes. It scares him, the idea of getting excited and seeing Minhyun once again tomorrow. Minhyun confirms the appointment and he thanks him before taking a few steps to the exit._

_“You’re still handsome as ever. Do you want to catch up some other time?” He stops just when he was about to reach the door, mustering every ounce of courage in him to look at Minhyun in the eyes._

_“Of course. You know where to find me now. Take care, Seongwoo.”_

_Come the next day, it was only the store owner in the shop and no sign of Minhyun._

_The flowers at the entrance were replaced with a row of yellow and white tulips._

 

_ Day by day the autumn comes _

_ The orange bright and pure _

_ Our sunsets were spent _

_ With empty spaces and hearts _

_ ‘Til my orange became blue _

_A year has passed since the flower shop encounter and not once has Seongwoo encountered Minhyun once more. And he did attempt to, but it was hard considering that he has a business to manage, people to meet with, and a wedding to plan. Also, Seoul was a huge place and one could easily be in the same island but meters apart to meet._

_But this time, he passes by a familiar figure in the central district’s coffee shop and he just knows he needs to push his meeting back for an hour or so._

_It was adorable, how Minhyun jumps in surprise as he sees Seongwoo waving at him from the window. He smiles and waves back, but deep down he wanted to just close his notebook and leave the coffee shop despite his coffee not arriving just yet. And when it does arrive, it came with a Seongwoo seated across him._

_“You’re dressed quite nice today.” He says when he sees the sleek suit topped off with a black necktie. Minhyun just prays to the heavens for Seongwoo to stop looking so attractive because the last of his intentions is to fall in love with a married man. But heaven really likes testing his patience and willpower most of the time._

_Soon enough they were engaged in a conversation, laughing just like the old times as if they were still in Japan and not trying to chase and catch each other’s tail. For the first time in a long time, Minhyun felt comfortable and Seongwoo felt free, hearts lighter than before._

_Then silence came save for the light clattering of spoons and forks against glass or porcelain, acoustic background music and conversations blurred to a fade just like how the cicadas were a few years ago. Minhyun stares at Seongwoo and takes in the more matured features, looking even more handsome than the first and last time he saw him. Gone was the freshness of youth, but there was something that drew him to the absence of that innocence._

_“I still love you, Hwang Minhyun.” The world came to freeze, time stopping when Seongwoo held his hands, rough fingers in contrast with his own delicate fingers, and as much as he felt safer with those hands, the Minhyun of today is more mature, wiser, and came to his sense._

_"Seongwoo, listen to me." Minhyun accompanies the words with an evident sigh, as if bracing himself from the weight of the words lingering on his tongue. His fingers now feel cold without Seongwoo’s hand, but he knew it was for the best._

_"Constants are named as such, because they're constants. Those constants never leave you no matter how much you shake them off." Although he tries, he couldn't bear to even spare a glimpse of Seongwoo's eyes. "But you see, these constants happen and you think it's gonna make you happy and the ending with it is always happy but it's not. Some constants... Some constants aren't meant to stay."_

_And for the first time in a long time, after the moments of false hope and shattered dreams, Minhyun finally breaks and allows himself to cry in front of Seongwoo. Yet, despite the tears, he fights back to get his point across. "Seongwoo, listen. To me, you are that kind of constant. And maybe I am that kind of constant in your life too. We just appear in front of each other after a couple of years, then we feel on top of the world again. And ironically, as much as you're a constant, you are temporary for me."_

_He manages to finally meet Seongwoo's stare, tears also streaming on the other's cheek as he too allows his defenses to break. If this scene was to be looked at by a passerby, it would be dramatic, like that of a movie shoot. But their voices were hushed despite the rough and blaring emotions with each syllable slipping from his lips._

_"I'll remember you forever, Seongwoo. But let's not torture ourselves with this cycle any longer. For my sake and yours too."_

_The last thing Seongwoo remembers seeing was the sight of Minhyun’s back leaving the front door, the warm latte left untouched on the table as it grows as cold as their hearts._

 

_ In your absence, I was white _

_ Littered with streaks of blue _

_ I wouldn’t long for hazel eyes _

_ Or sunsets bright in hue _

_ For my favorite color since then _

_ Has only, and always been you _

“Did you see him after that?” Jonghyun asks with curious eyes, and Minhyun feels like his soul was being undressed. Vulnerability has never been his forte, ever since he was young, and even when he grew up he knows he’s stubborn as ever with regards to his feelings.

 

“Sometimes I do. I pass him by the street and he looks happier with his wife. I just pretend that I don’t see him and go on with my life. It took me about a year to get over it.”

 

“Yeah, and it was hard having to bear with you pretending to be drunk while we were hopping from one karaoke to another.” Minhyun’s ears turn red again while he hits Jonghyun’s shoulder with the brown envelope before chucking his piece back inside it.

 

“I’m thankful for him though.” He speaks again while fiddling with his coffee’s stirrer in front of him. “Because he was your muse for your finals and you graduated with a good grade in literature?” Jonghyun was met with a playful glare, the envelope hitting on his shoulder again. He just laughs, enjoying the sight of Minhyun getting teased.

 

“Well yes, that, and because, well, he was a test of my morals, I guess? Remember how I was told to define what blue is? And colors couldn’t be defined that easily, right? But it was Seongwoo, and all that he has become in my life was, well, it was all like blue. Blue is a beautiful color but just because it's your favorite doesn't mean you can't have other shades in your life—Oh shoot we’re gonna be late! Let’s go before Minki starts nagging at us because he didn’t get to watch the first part of the movie.”

 

Jonghyun laughs at the cheesy answer, then they proceed to bicker as they exit the coffee shop, their voices reduced to a murmur the further they got away.

 

A few tables away, Seongwoo looks over at the vacated table and smiles knowing that this time Minhyun left the place with the latte cup emptied.

 

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh i know this fic seems half-assed with all the deadlines at work i'm having ; - ; so if you want to ask for clarifications or have violent reactions, don't hesitate to drop a comment! and thank you for the mods for being so nice and wonderful and accommodating throughout this event uwu 
> 
> hope to see you all in the second round~


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